Alien: Isolation Brings Back Survival Horror

Today, SEGA announced the next installment in the Alien video-game series, Alien: Isolation. Taking a cue from the first movie, the gameplay centers around avoiding a grotesque Xenomorph in your decommissioned space vessel. You’ll also be playing as Ripley’s daughter, Amanda.

The announcement trailer shows Amanda travelling around the ship, using various tools to traverse the area. It’s very reminiscent of titles like Amnesia or Outlast; where the atmosphere is the main focus. Gone are the massive arsenal of guns. Instead, you’ll be using all your wits to escape the imminent threat of the Xenomorph. After the disappointing reception for Colonial Marines, it seems like developer Creative Assembly decided to take the franchise in a new direction.

Alistair Hope, creative lead at Creative Assembly, describes the Xenomorph as “intelligent, hostile, brutal and unstoppable”. Going on to say that this “is the Alien game fans have wanted.”

For a genre that has been caught in a rut, Isolation seeks to bring back the horror. It’s no secret that survival horror has become a more action-oriented experience over the last few years. Games like Resident Evil 6 and Dead Space 3 favoured epic weapons over terror.

So far Isolation looks like a promising addition to a complacent franchise. Let’s just hope it stays that way. Alien: Isolation is coming out for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC later this year.